False Start

Big Bend Bears #3

by Nicole Dykes

Vaughn Montgomery
High school is almost over, and I’m more than ready.
Not because I don’t love Big Bend and everything here. Actually, I’m going to miss it quite a bit, but I’ll have my best friend by my side.
With Austin, I’ll always be okay.

Austin Pierce
I’m keeping some pretty big secrets from my best friend.
Secrets I’m not sure how much longer I can hold onto. Secrets that’ll likely destroy our friendship.
Because he thinks we’re going to college together—but I just can’t do it. I can’t spend any more time with this lie.
Big Bend may have been my beginning, but it never felt quite right. Something was always off—truly, I think it was my false start.
Now it’s time to live my life with nothing but the truth.

Genres: M M Romance, Friends To Lovers, College, Romance, Football, College Romance, Sports

186 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 14, 2025

About the author

Nicole Dykes is a wife and a professional assistant/mom to two gorgeous girls. Currently residing in Kansas, she’s a lover of coffee, Kansas City Chiefs, and all things romance.

She's found her passion in writing M/M romance because love is love is love. Some popular works include Hostile, The Spark of Hope Series, and The Kensley Panthers Series!

Email at nicoledykes_author@yahoo.com

Or visit my website at Www.authornicoledykes.com

Reviews

[Evelyn Bella (there WILL be spoilers)]

Backing your best friend up against a wall and caressing his cheek and lower lip with your thumb while doing the weekly check in, "Are you still in love with me?" is totally straight behavior, by the way.

Nothing to see here.

Love how this super straight guy thinks things like 'Is he insane? Of course I’ll be thinking about him and how he’s supposed to be where I am. Always.' about his best friend but thinks it's par for the course.

I will not lie, though. Tripped me up a bit when Vaughn started saying he'd thought about being more than friends with Austin before, though, because he explicitly thought to himself that he was totally unequivocally straight prior, so I'm wondering what this 'more than friends' thought looked like to him.

Codependent platonic soulmates who cuddle and live together and obsess about each other? Terrible time to be Vanessa, Vaughn's girlfriend of FIVE YEARS.

This has that 'I was oblivious for 82 years but now that I've opened my eyes, I realize I've probably been in love with him longer than I could have thought' thing which I usually hate, but I'll allow it because Vaughn is a total sweetheart so he gets a pass.

'Having sex with your best friend is awesome. I highly recommend it.'

Oh, you do, do you? Real shocker. No, really, I'm SHOCKED that he wanted to fuck the guy he's been nuzzling and cuddling all his life.

It's always the ones you least suspect, smh.

This book surprised me. It didn't go how I expected it to go and I loved that. Is it sick that I love being wrong?

'I guess I thought sex would allow me to show him just how much I love him.'

Baby 😩😩😩

The love declaration totally serves one of them right, for being such a wuss. Still cute AF though.

“So is the boyfriend coming tonight?” “That’s kind of personal, isn’t it?”

💀💀💀💀💀💀I love Vaughn.

Austin's pretty great, too. I feel like he makes good choices. For himself and for them both. For his sanity and for their love.

I JUST REALLY ENJOY THESE TWO INDIVIDUALLY AND AS A COUPLE.

Them realizing that they're totally codependent but being all 'fuck it, so what?' gave me goosebumps. But in an ooey gooey way.

Love when sane people throw away their sanity 🥰

***but only in books. Please don't try this at home, kids.

Stay in school and don't do drugs.💀

I usually hate fluff except in very specific scenarios, and this wasn't really fluffy but the dynamic between these two was just so healthy and SAFE that everything felt right for them. Even decisions that would have had me banging my head against a wall for other MCs.

Maybe I'm usually not a best friends to lovers enthusiast because often there are MCs committing emotional war crimes against their supposed best friend which feels disappointing, but this? This is best friends to lovers I can fully get behind.

“We live together now. I’m going to live inside you,”

💀💀💀💀💀

The funniest bit is that Vaughn is so emotionally and sexually needy that he could easily mean either live inside Austin's skin because he really can't stand being away from him AT ALL or just inside his ass as a full time sentient penis.

And just to be clear?

I support Vaughn in how ever he wishes to proceed.

Loooooooooooooved this ARC. In case that wasn't clear. It was clear, though, right? It was clear how much I fucking adored these two and their love????

[Dani]

Vaughn and Austin fit really well into the already established roster of best friends to lovers pairings in these small Kansas towns.

I really liked how they didn't immediately get together though, it took them a while and there were insecurities and hurt feelings on both sides, but the love between them is so cute. The whole book spans just over a year and I did find the time jumps easier to follow than I usually do in a Nicole Dykes book, which was a relief because the story is very fast paced. I do always giggle when the formerly straight boy suddenly becomes the master at sex with another guy though! Just once I'd love a really awkward fumble and some mishaps for their first time, as well as some laughter, instead of some earth shattering, life changing excellence. Sometimes a little realism gives me a much stronger emotional connection to the characters.

Vaughn was a really fun character though, he has no fear and no worries about what anyone might say about him, whereas Austin was his more worrisome counterpart and their personalities complemented each other really nicely. I also loved how Austin was considered a 'nerd' but not in a stereotypical way - he's just a normal dude who likes to read, doesn't want to play team sports and is more than capable of standing up for himself, and that was such a refreshing change on the jock/nerd trope.

I'm kinda curious about Calvin though, and I'm hoping we get a story for him soon!

*****

I received an ARC of this book from Gay Romance Reviews, and this is my honest review

[Gaby]

This is the story of a Delulu “straight “ jock that loves cuddling his gay best friend in a completely platonic way, until he realizes it’s not as platonic as he originally thought.

[⋆｡°✮ Lucy InTheSky ✮°｡⋆]

Even though the books in this series aren't much, I still like reading them. It's NA books and they're nothing special, but it's a good small-town setting and the guys are pretty decent, so for a quick, very easy morning read, I think this is an acceptable choice.

🔵 Best friends to lovers
🟢 Both 18, going to college
🟣 Gay/bi-awakening
🟡 Jock/nerd
🟠 Size difference
🌶️ Some sex, it's descriptive and good, first times; oral, rimming, a lot of kissing, penetrative; both vers

Austin and Vaughn have been friends since they were kids and this is your typical we didn't know we were both actually in love with each other all along.
Well, one knew, the other just thought cuddling with his bff and not his girlfriend was normal.

I didn't care for the bi-awakening as much, Vaughn just switched to Austin, he was at his college alone and broken up with his girl, so suddenly it's this waking up to wanting his best friend and everything being better with him.
It's a very simple story and not even that exciting, even though it does start out quite good.

I also didn't care much about the time jumps. The whole book is one big time jump, every new chapter is days and weeks later, so you're basically covering the timespan of more than a year with this story.

Austin and Vaughn come out, everything's fantastic, everyone's accepting, they find a place together and that's it. No epilogue.

Boring for me, might be good for you, depends on what you're up for.
It's nothing new, but I will say I'd like to read Calvin's story. I hope he gets it.

[martina (the life of a chaotic reader)]

3.5

so i’ve said before that nicole was losing her sparkle.
is it back? no, not completely.
is this better? yes, definitely.
i could feel something, at least.
so, 3.5 rounded up to 4 for encouragement.
i do have a good feeling about only temporary.

[Katie]

I flew through this book, I couldn’t put it down. I really love this series, and Vaughn and Austin are my new favorite couple. Best friends to lovers is one of my favorite tropes, and these two were seriously the sweetest. If you like friends to lovers, nerd/jock, small town and unrequited love, I definitely recommend False Start.

[Sjoukje]

I really should stop reading best friends to lovers with “in love with my best straight friend”-trope books, because they’re all exactly the same and annoy the hell out of me. “But you’re straight! You can’t be in love with me!” Apparently he is not and he is. End of story. Of course Austin, the gay one, is smart. And Vaughn, the in the end not straight one is a golden retriever, because that’s the script as well.

Such a shame because I liked this series and I had high hopes of this book. Oh well.

[riley ☠︎︎]

4 stars✨

This was soooo good. God, I love friends to lovers. Vaughn is the sweetest and most clueless friend but they eventually got to the lovers part lmfao. He’s like the epitome of a golden retriever🫶🏻

[read_romance.withgloria Gloria Worlikar]

Another amazing read from my favorite author, where co-dependent best friends fall in love and finally get their well-deserved HEA. This story was incredibly sweet and had me hooked from the very beginning—just like every other book by Nicole.

Vaughn and Austin have been best friends since childhood, doing everything together. Now, in their senior year of high school, everything is beginning to change—especially for Austin. He’s been in love with Vaughn for a long time and has decided to create some distance between them. When Austin comes out to Vaughn and confesses that he’s in love with him—and that he’s planning to attend a different university—Vaughn feels blindsided but tries his best to support Austin’s decision.

Vaughn was such a bright, lovable character. I especially enjoyed how jealous he got at the thought of Austin with someone else, and how deeply he missed him. Once Vaughn took time to understand his feelings and realized his attraction to Austin, I appreciated how open and unafraid he was—ready to kiss and explore more with his best friend. Austin, understandably hesitant about Vaughn’s sudden shift, still found himself unable to resist their connection. Their sweet and spicy moments added so much charm and depth to the story, and their HEA felt truly satisfying. I loved witnessing their growth and the strength of their bond.

The side characters were equally fantastic. I especially appreciated how both families supported their relationship—it was heartwarming to read. We also get introduced to some new characters who I hope get their own stories soon, and it was great to see Benny from the previous book.

Overall, I highly recommend this book. If you haven’t already, make sure to check out *The Big Bend* series!

* I received an ARC copy from GRR and this is my honest review *

[Ari Romance 🥰]

4.5


Vaughn & Austin wow this couple stole my heart lit from page one, this book has many of my favorite tropes I felt on heaven while reading this , literally head over heels for their story , childhood friends to lovers with so much codependency so much authenticity in their dynamics , they were just so perfect together, they made sense it felt so natural to watch them become a “real” couple they were one since they got old enough they just did not realize that, this book will stay with me for a long time I’m sure 🫶🏽🥹

[Reanna Shea]

Best friends to lovers gold

“It kind of makes me chuckle because Austin is pretty much a no touchy sort of person, but he makes an exception for me.”

Austin and Vaughn, Ugh!!! Im a sucker for a best friends to lovers and this is a top tier example of why. Austin and Vaughn had been inseparable since kindergarten. Platonic cuddles, sleep overs, never keeping secrets, and always riding to school together. When senior year comes to an end Austin is outed and forced to share two secrets that wind up flipping both of their worlds upside down. Secret one Austin is in love with Vaughn , secret two he is going to a different college to get some space.

Space is the last thing Vaughn wants, but anything for his best friend right? After weeks of facetimes, texts, and constantly missing one another Vaughn needs his best friend and he comes to the rescue. Soon the two begin to explore the possibility that Vaughn may not be as straight as he thinks and he most definitely loves his best friend in a way he didn’t realize.

These two were absolutely precious. I loved the way that they communicated once they were able to talk about the big secrets Austin kept hidden. I loved the way that Vaughn always wanted to protect his best friend, the way he always needed his best friend in ways that toxic masculinity normally wouldn’t allow. These two had such a light hearted but beautiful story.

[Alexandra]

I received a copy of this book from Gay Romance Reviews, and this is my honest review.

Rating: 4 ⭐️

Alright, it's been a very long time since I've read a book this fast. Usually, I like to take breaks between chapters, but wow, it felt damn good to be so engrossed in a story. And what a cute and sweet story it was!

Nicole Dykes' writing style is very easy to get into; I didn't read the previous books in the series but that wasn't a problem at all. The plot was mainly about our two main characters, Vaughn and Austin, and the progress of their relationship. I love best friends to lovers stories; I don't know why but the angst and the pining on both sides is so good!

Vaughn and Austin are best friends since kindergarten, and are very codependents (just the way I like it). However, Austin has been in love with Vaughn for quite some time now, while Vaughn is dating a girl, Vanessa.

The main characters were so likeable, especially Vaughn. I'm sorry but a cuddly jock (yes, we do have some nice cuddling scenes!), completely and cluelessly obsessed with his best friend was everything I was looking for. He didn't even annoy me with his oblivious behavior because the way he cared for Austin was so genuine. In fact, both cared for the other a lot. It was clear those two loved each other equally. My heart melted when Vaughn finally realized he was in love with Austin.

I appreciated the fact that Vaughn's girlfriend wasn't portrayed as the villain! I'm really tired with those cliches in MM romances, so I'm glad Vanessa was somehow a nice character.

Nonetheless, I wished the story was longer. It felt too short for me, and their situationship was resolved in such a simple way (too quickly), in my opinion. Overall, I really liked this story. It really made me swoon and smile a lot.

Safety:
- OWD: Vaughn was in a relationship at the beginning; they kissed but no intimate scenes between them on-page. After Austin and him went to different universities, Vaughn became distant with her and it's implied that he hadn't been intimate with her.
- OMD: not really. Austin never had sex with a guy (or a girl) before. He went on a date with a guy (off-page) but nothing happened between them (it was kinda funny, by the way, because we got to see Vaughn jealous!).

“Vaughn?”
“Yeah?” His voice sounds strained, and I hate that he’s afraid right now. That I made such a brave, sure man terrified of telling me he loves me.
“Say it.”
His eyes widen now, and his eyes search mine. “Really?”
I smile at him and nod. “Please.”
He cups my face in his big hand and smiles— great big and sure. “I’m so damn in love with you, Austin Pierce. I have been for a long, long time.”

[Kelsey’s Kindle]

It’s been a hot minute since the stars aligned and I’ve had the time to read a book in a day and boy did it feel dang good! I loved Austin & Vaughn, seeing their friend, the ending of high school and the start of their college years! This has some of my favorite tropes/ micro tropes: platonic cuddling 🫠 I’m such a sucker for this! I loved the jealousy, the first times, and the co dependency. Austin resonated with my nerdy heart. I felt for him and his big feelings. I thought without a doubt he’d be my favorite but Vaughn surprised the crap out of me, the exact opposite of Austin, the football player, the golden boy, everyone loves him. He’s such a golden retriever , Himbo and he’s so obviously until it smacks him in the face but when he’s in he’s all in, no hesitations. I love how he took everything in stride, his bravery to just be himself, to be proud of who he is without fear of loving out loud. He really won me over in the end as my favorite! This was such a quick and easy read. I love how Nicole writes and I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next!

[Courtenay (ceelovesbooks)]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️

So what happens when you get two BEST friends together, who have been friends since they were kids, who are ridiculously co-dependent, who sometimes snuggle, have a super honest (for the most part) relationship, and throw them into high-school graduation.. which means university is right around the corner.. which means they’ll be going together obviously.

Well the only issue here is that one of these friends is in the closet, and in love with said best friend. And the other? Has a girlfriend and is completely clueless.

Ahhh my boys. I’ve been waiting for their story for so long. Austin is a nerd. He hates sports (yay! Go sports!) and he’s in love with his brother from another mother, Vaughn.

Vaughn is in a relationship with his high-school sweetheart.. who’s a woman. And he looooves his best friend. Like so much. He doesn’t ever want to be apart from him. So that’s why he’s so excited to go to university with Austin and play the sport he loves. Until Austin drops the bomb that changes everything.

These two were so sweet. So delicious. Fell into everything so naturally. It was like breathing. All the pieces aligned. Everything just.. happened. And it was perfect.

As always with Nicole’s books, they are equal things sweet, spicy, cute, fun, and just an overall good time. Little to no drama. No big scary moments, and no third act breakup to hurt your heart.

These 2 might be my most favourite Nicole Dykes couple yet.. SORRY BENNY, BABY. But my boy makes an appearance too, and it was SO Benny.

I really loved seeing these two fall in love, just how it always should have been. They’ve loved each other as friends, as best friends, across every lifetime, in every ending, they were meant to be together.

🧡 Small Town
🧡 Best Friends to Lovers
🧡 Bi-Awakening
🧡 Co-Dependency
🧡 Jock / Nerd
🧡 No Third Act Breakup

[Laura Lou]

False Start is book three in the Big Bend Bears series. This best friends to lovers, small town MM romance story is about Austin and Vaughn.

Austin is the nerdy type that doesn’t like sports and is secretly in love with his best friend Vaughn. Vaughn is the jock with a girlfriend, but this doesn’t stop him from having a very close friendship with Austin.

Their story begins with them finishing up their senior year in high school. Vaughn is very protective of Austin and always has his back. They were super sweet together, loving to cuddle and having sleepovers. I did feel bad for Austin for having to hide his feelings for Vaughn, and having to watch him in a relationship with someone else. Austin had been keeping some secrets, but he tried to get through graduation before having to admit to some of them.

Once Austin and Vaughn head to college, we see things start to change. I was routing for these two to figure things out. When they finally get physical, we definitely get some steamy moments. I loved how Vaughn accepted his attraction and feelings for Austin, and how he was ready to go all in. I did get a bit frustrated when Austin didn’t want Vaughn to tell him how he felt, but I can understand that he was scared.

Austin and Vaughn were truly meant to be together. This best friends to lovers romance story was such a joy to read. Austin and Vaughn have become my favorite couple in this series!

I received an advanced copy of this book, and this is my honest review.

[Amberly Hays]

I couldn’t put this book down!! Vaughn and Austin were magic together and I enjoyed every minute of it!! 10/10 book and my new favorite by Nicole! When they finally got their act together, there were fireworks and I soaked it all up!! I definitely recommend this book!!

[J]

I liked Vaughn and Austin, and friends to lovers is one of my favorite tropes, even when it involves one guy basically gay only for his friend. In fact, in this book, Vaughn even says he's not gay, regardless of his love for Austin.

Once again, Dykes really rushes through the endings, and it's not clear if she just doesn't know how to end a book, or she feels rushed, or she just doesn't care. Too many time jumps that leaves a lot to the imagination of the readers, instead of showing us how the relationship evolved.

[ashlee ❤]

Austin + Vaughn

-mm romance
-best friends to lovers
-unrequited love
-small town
-nerd x jock

ohhhh you know i fw a good friends to lovers story where the "gay" friend has been completely in love with the "straight" friend their entire lives & then finally has had enough & has to separate/distance themselves to try to "get over their little crush"....just for their "straight" bestie to realize maybe their codependency isn't just that but also GAYYY LOVVEEE!!! haha they always hit, & this one was even more angsty cause our straight bestie had a girlfriend!! literally all i could think of was that tiktok audio "i can't believe that its finally you & me, & me & you, just us! ...& your friend steve!" but the girlfriend was totally steve.... 😂😂😂

[Crisana]

This one felt more like the first books I've read from this author, which I loved. The last few installments felt too short and slightly simplistic but this one hit the spot just right.

[Brat]

best friends to lovers
end of high school to college
jock/nerd
fast read

[Danielle]

nothing new; ends rather abruptly

[Amani]

3.5 ⭐️. started out great with the angst and the tension, but then they got together too quickly and everything kind of went downhill for me.

[Ana_books_and_stuff]

I love this series, it's been so easy to read, and the stories have been delightful. And False Start was no different. The perfect recipe for a light read with just enough angst, but not too much to leave us with a perpetual knot in our stomach.

Vaughn and Austin are adorable, their codependence is so cute, and the way Vaughn finds their whole relationship so natural is liberating. Because, why not?!

I loved Vaughn's realization moment, when he realized that the love he feels for his friend is so much more. And how their relationship evolved naturally and just is.

Once again Nicole managed to bring us a happy and hopeful reading.

What you will find:
Small Town
Best Friends to Lovers
Bi-Awakening
Co-Dependency
Jock / Nerd
No Third Act Breakup

[Tessa]

Just very anticlimactic 🤷‍♀️

[Laura Fabian]

Thank you so much to the author for this copy

Reading the next Big Bend Bears book was like coming home, and I enjoyed it so much because Vaughn & Austin have one of the most beautiful stories Nicole Dykes has ever written! I loved their friendship, the obstacles they have to overcome to be together, and the secondary characters who accompany them on their journey of self-discovery. It's definitely one of my favorite books by the author.

Austin stole my heart immediately! I loved reading about him as the nerdy guy who hates everything related to sports, even though his best friend is one of the most popular players on the team. I loved his serious, slightly grumpy personality and the way he always tries to protect Vaughn in his own way. It also broke my heart to read about him having doubts about his relationship with his best friend, but I really enjoyed his courage in making decisions, changing plans, and forging his own path. Also, seeing him fit in so well with Vaughn's new group of friends was something I didn't expect and really liked, and what can I say about his friendship with Ethan, and of course, with Vanessa.

Vaughn is the sweetest of all the characters Nicole Dykes has written, a boy who loves football, his life in Big Bend, and is more than ready to go to college with his best friend. He's also one of the most loyal characters this author has given me, and I loved him for that. But I think what made me love him most was reading about him being willing to do anything to protect Austin, showing his feelings for him as soon as he realizes how he wants their friendship to evolve, and always staying true to himself, to what he wants, and to Austin.


As I said, one of the best things about this story is the friendship between Vaughn & Austin, especially because the author showed me so much of this relationship in the first few chapters (and throughout the entire book). I definitely think no one writes better "friends to lovers" stories than Nicole Dykes because she always manages to maintain the essence of that bond even when the characters are a romantic couple. I also really liked the complexity of the love story due to Austin's fear of complicating Vaughn's life with his feelings, the way Vaughn never doubts what he wants, and the beautiful journey this couple takes to get where they both want to be.

🏈Vaughn: 5/5
🏈Austin: 5/5
🏈Plot: 5/5
🏈Love story: 5/5
🏈Secondary characters: 5/5
🏈Universe: 5/5
🏈Cover: 5/5
🥵: 2/5

Muchas gracias a la autora por la copia de este libro

Leer el siguiente libro de Big Bend Bears fue como volver a mi lugar seguro, y lo disfruté mucho porque Vaughn & Austin tienen una de las historias más hermosas que Nicole Dykes ha escrito! Amé la amistad de estos personajes, las obstáculos que tienen que superar para estar juntos y a los personajes secundarios que los acompañan en su camino de autodescubrimiento, sin duda uno de mis libros favoritos de la autora.

Austin se robó mi corazón de inmediato! Me encantó leerlos como el chico nerd y estudioso que odia todo lo relacionado con los deportes, aún cuando su mejor amigo es uno de los jugadores más populares del equipo, amé su personalidad seria, un poco gruñona y la manera en la que siempre busca proteger a Vaughn a su manera, también me rompió el corazón leerlo teniendo dudas sobre su relación con su mejor amigo, pero disfruté mucho de su valentía para tomar decisiones, cambiar los planes y buscar su propio camino. Además, leerlo encajar tan bien con el nuevo grupo de amigos de Vaughn fue algo que no esperaba y que me gustó mucho, y que decir de su amistad con Ethan, y claro, con Vanessa.

Vaughn es el más dulce de los personajes que Nicole Dykes ha escrito, un chico que ama el fútbol, su vida en Big Bend, y esta más que listo para ir a la universidad con su mejor amigo, también es uno de los chicos más leales que esta autora me ha dado y lo amé mucho por eso. Pero creo que lo que más me hizo amarlo fue leerlo dispuesto a todo para proteger a Austin, demostrando sus sentimientos por él tan pronto como se da cuenta de como quiere que su amistad evolucione y siempre buscando serse fiel a si mismo, a lo que quiere y a Austin.

Como ya dije, una de las mejores cosas que tiene ésta historia es la amistad que hay entre Vaughn & Austin, especialmente porque la autora me mostró mucho de esta relación en los primeros capítulos (y a lo largo de todo el libro), definitivamente creo que no hay nadie que escriba mejores friends to lovers que Nicole Dykes porque siempre logra mantener la esencia de ese vinculo aún cuando los personajes son una pareja romántica. También me gustó mucho la complejidad de la trama amorosa debido al miedo de Austin de complicar la vida de Vaughn con sus sentimientos, la manera en la que Vaughn no duda ni una vez de lo que quiere y el hermoso camino que esta pareja recorre para llegar a donde ambos quieren.

🏈Vaughn: 5/5
🏈Austin: 5/5
🏈Trama: 5/5
🏈Historia de amor: 5/5
🏈Personajes secundarios: 5/5
🏈Universo: 5/5
🏈Portada: 5/5
🥵: 2/5

[Ana Silva]

Oh thank God Vaughn and Austin gave me a reprieve from the heavy angst😅 I was getting worried I’d be a crying mess with this book, as I was with the other two.

I love characters like Vaughn. I love reading oblivious characters that don’t know they’re in love with their best friends until it hits them right in the face 😂 Vaughn should have known his overprotective nature when it came to Austin was more than just a friend protecting a friend.

He couldn’t function without Austin. He was like the air that he breathed, and if Austin wasn’t around, it felt like he was missing a piece of himself. Austin just made his life brighter, and he needed him more than anyone. Even his own girlfriend.

Austin was so in love with Vaughn it hurt. Seeing him with his girlfriend and wishing he was in her place, got to be too much for him to handle. He couldn’t keep doing that to himself anymore and needed to put distance between them. He knew it would break Vaughn’s heart, but he needed to take care of his own.

Finding out that they wouldn’t be at the same school devastated Vaughn. He couldn’t believe that his best friend wanted to be away from him, but it didn’t hurt as much as finding out that he’d been hiding his sexuality from him. Vaughn thought they told each other everything, but apparently he was wrong.

He understood why Austin did it, but it didn’t hurt any less. Austin was his everything, and him being gay wouldn’t change anything between them. If anything, he was now even more protective of Austin. Their town was known for being homophobic, and he knew how hard it had been for his friends to come out. But if anyone had something bad to say about his best friend, he was more than happy to use his fists.

Austin knew Vaughn would never hate him for being gay, but he was still a little bit afraid he wouldn’t see him the same way. Turned out that confession only made Vaughn look after him more. Vaughn was too good for this world, and that’s why Austin had to go. If Vaughn found out about his feelings for him, their friendship would end, and that would kill Austin. He couldn’t live in a world where he didn’t have Vaughn.

Vaughn could tell there was more to Austin wanting to be away from him and kept pestering him about his decision, but he wasn’t prepared for the truth. Finding out that his best friend was in love with him was like a punch to the gut. Yet that still didn’t deter Vaughn from wanting to have Austin with him, but he understood why Austin had to do it.

Being away from Austin was the hardest thing Vaughn ever had to do. He lost his easy going personality and smiles. His joy was gone, and he could barely function, making him a grump instead of the usual outgoing man he was. Not even his breakup hurt him as much as being away from Austin did.

That was the moment he realized he was in love with Austin too. Everything started to make sense now. The overprotectiveness, the clinging, wanting to do everything with him, and being the happiest when he was with Austin. Now, if only Austin would believe that he too was in love with him, that’d be great🤣

Austin thought he had entered an alternate universe where his dream actually came true. There was no way Vaughn could feel the same way. It took some major convincing from Vaughn for Austin to finally believe that indeed Vaughn loved him back, but he did. Vaughn was an even better boyfriend than he could’ve imagined, and he would treasure him forever.

It took being away from each other for Vaughn to realize Austin was the love of his life, but it was needed. The distance made them both see how perfect they were for each other.

𝑾𝒆’𝒓𝒆 𝒃𝒐𝒕𝒉 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒘𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆. 𝑰𝒏 𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒉 𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓’𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒎𝒔, 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒘𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒅 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒕. 𝑴𝒂𝒚𝒃𝒆 𝒊𝒕 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒕𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒃𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒈𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒂𝒈𝒆. 𝑴𝒂𝒚𝒃𝒆 𝑰 𝒃𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒅 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒊𝒕 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝑽𝒂𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒏. 𝑰𝒕 𝒅𝒐𝒆𝒔𝒏’𝒕 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒘𝒆 𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒅 𝒖𝒑.

[fortheloveofmmromancebooks]

Arc Review

Vaughn Montgomery loves his sports and is going to collage to play football. He has been best friends with Austin since kindergarten, and they are heading to the same college, or so he thinks. He has a girlfriend, Vanessa who is going to the same collage as him, she is hoping they can live together, but Vaughn tells her it is not possible as he has to live in the sports dorms.


Austin Pierce is head over heels in love with his best friend, Vaughn. While Vaughn is a jock, Austin is the complete opposite, preferring maths and books to sports. Vaughn is fiercely protective over Austin, and will stick up for him regardless. Austin has to break the news to Vaughn that they wont be going to the same college, even though Vaughn thinks they are.

Vanessa is starting to worry that Vaughn is not 100% in their relationship, opting to put Austin first all the time. She finds herself wanting to be with someone else. Vaughn is not upset that his relationship with Vanessa has come to an end, but he would be devastated if Austin left him. Vaughn comes to the conclusion that he is actually in love with Austin, making him not as straight as he thought he was.

The Big Bend Bears series from Nicole Dykes, gets better and sweeter with each book. This low angst, childhood best friends to lovers romance, ticks all the boxes. The story flows easily and can be read in a day. If you want something short and sweet, you have found it.

[Lady Macbeth]

4 stars
Friends to lovers in a small town, basically Nicole Dykes' recipe for a very lovely story.
Austin and Vaughn have been best friends since kindergarten, spending time together, sleeping in each other's bed, dining with their respective families; they're 18 now and about to graduate from high school, but everything is still the same. Vaughn has been dating Vanessa for 4 years and she's a close friend of Austin too and doesn't mind sharing his boyfriend's time with him.
But Austin is gay and in love with his best friend, but Vaughn has no idea until some drama with a classmate will reveal one of Austin's secret.

In order to protect his heart, Austin will make difficult decision, but Vaughn never-ending love for him will bring them together.

I'm surely going to keep reading this series because every couple has been adorable and I appreciate the low angst of the stories. I'm also very very curious about a certain closeted guy, who's behaving quite arrogantly so far

I received an ARC of this book from Gay Romance Reviews and this is my honest review.

[ash[hearts]angst]

Once again, Nicole absolutely kills it with the small town romances.

I loved Austin and Vaughn’s dynamic. Childhood friends, nerd and jock, all the platonic cuddles, codependency. It was the perfect mix for their relationship.

I loved Austin’s character! He had something very unique about the way he acted with Vaughn. He was so kind and patient with him, while also being fun and light-hearted. I definitely thought he would’ve been my favorite but Vaughn stole it in the end! His character development was amazing. Throughout the book you see his mind shift and the growth in handling situations, but also still being super brave and courageous and helping Austin with that.

This was a great friends to lovers small town read, with low-angst and the perfect amount of kisses, first times, and all the juiciness in between.

[Daryn Johnson]

False Start ARC Review:

Austin and Vaughn 🧡

False Start is the third book in the Big Bend Bears series and follows Austin and Vaughn as they navigate life and love after high school. With graduation quickly approaching Austin needs to tell his best friend Vaughn that he isn’t going to the same college, like Vaughn thinks they are.

Vaughn and Austin’s relationship is for sure codependent. Austin is the one to try to make some changes so he can still be friends with Vaughn even with all that he feels. I loved the way that their relationship evolved, and understood where Austin was coming from, but they had a few growing pains along the way. At its core, their relationship was so sweet and adorable with Vaughn being the cuddly guy that he is. Austin, I just really felt for him.

This book is so heartwarming and I just adore Austin and Vaughn.

4.75/5 🌟